Apple iPhone 18 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Verdict
Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra tie on the OH Rank at a score of 79. Apple iPhone 18 Pro wins on Performance and Battery; Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wins on Screen and Desktop Replacement. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is 5.7mm wider than Apple iPhone 18 Pro. Apple iPhone 18 Pro is the more recent release, from Sep 18, 2026.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
79
79
Apple iPhone 18 Pro
71.9mm (2.83in) · Sep 18, 2026 · Rank #15
15+11+11+12+15+5+5+0+5+0 = 79
SUPERIOR* TOP Performance* TOP Selfie* TOP PHOTO/VIDEO* TOP Compact
EDITORIAL: After last year's major design re-shuffle Apple is back to minimal upgrades. 18 Pro gets an obligatory new chip, faster (but overall on a slow side) charging, smaller selfie camera island and a variable exposure main camera... but the redemption lies in endurance gains brought by A20 Pro, Apple's first 2nm chip. It makes 18 Pro finish a day of us with 10-20% battery life - and that makes out a TOP Compact contender.
PROs
excellent build with great feel, good A20 Pro (2nm) chip with NVMe performance, 30+hr endurance, a <1000nits 460ppi 120Hz LTPO OLED screen with Dolby Vision, IP68 protection, very good 48MP 24mm OIS f/1.5-4.0 main + 48MP 100mm OIS periscope telephoto + 48MP 13mm ultrawide (all 3 with PDAF) setup, good "center stage" 18MP 20mm selfie, great video recording, rich OS with improved (Google) AI integration and 6+ years of updates, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Display Port, globally available
CONs
A20 Pro throttles under heavy load, small 4000mAh (4200mAh on eSIM-only version) old-tech lithium battery with 60min (from 0-100%) ~45W (25W wireless) charging, no expandable memory, no desktop replacement functionality despite having Display Port tech, speaker sound could be louder, $1400 for a minimal investment in innovation
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
77.6mm (3.06in) · Feb 3, 2025 · Rank #18
11+7+15+12+14+5+5+0+5+5 = 79
FLY* TOP Selfie* TOP Video Recording* TOP Software* TOP Desktop Replacement* TOP Screen
EDITORIAL: The S25 Ultra may be an incremental upgrade in hardware and camera tech but it is a world leader in AI functionality as Samsung turns to AI software to set itself apart from the competition. This is a phone with top performance, a full day of battery life, excellent photo and video results and 7 years of very stable OS package. Included is DeX - still the very best desktop replacement software there is. The screen, while not the brightest minimizes reflections and is more usable outdoors than any other. This year, Samsung decided to give us an Ultra with improved battery endurance and faster charging too. The lack of expandable memory is the only thing keeping the S25 Ultra back. The included stylus lost its Bluetooth but still works great.
PROs
Snapdragon 8 Elite, >1400nits ~500ppi LTPO AMOLED screen with HDR10+ and anti reflective coating, excellent 200MP main camera joined by 10MP and 50MP telephoto lenses and a 50MP ultrawide, tried and true 12MP PDAF Selfie, 7 years of OS updates and AI features ahead of the pack, amazing DeX computer replacement software
CONs
218gr 77.6mm wide glass and metal brick with a small 5000mAh battery, >60min slow 45W (15W wireless) charging, Samsung's refusal to include expandable SDmemory storage (do you know how big are these 8k video files?), the ecosystem that's trying to lock you in since 2019
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
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